The value of Biblical slavery

One of the favorite anti-Judaism arguments of the skeptics, especially Born Again Skeptics (Who can be as annoying as BTs to be honest), is that of slavery. 'Oh how terrible is Judaism' they cry, it condones slavery!

But a closer look at the subject shows that it is not so at all. 

There are two basic types of slavery in the Torah, eved ivri and eved canaani. Eved Ivri only goes into slavery for debt, which many times came from criminal activity and subsequent inability to pay the fine resulting therefrom. There was no long term jail in ancient times, so creating a system whereby the guilty person, rather than having his hand cut off, instead worked for his victim to pay off his debt was an incredible MORAL system, especially when you consider all the slave welfare laws of how he had to be treated.

Compare this to the modern day penal system in the US. It's a total disaster - an appaling breeding ground for criminals in the high risk jails. And the low risk jails are ridiculous - like a bad sleepaway camp, says Sam Waksal in an article in this weeks New York Magazine. Reading Sam Waksal's recollections of his jail time was very eye opening. (He was the guy caught in the insider trading scandal with Martha Stewart). What a waste of tax-payers money! How can anyone say our current system is more moral? Ridiculous.

Would the eved ivri system of the Bible work in 21st century US? Probably not. But it was clearly workable in the ANE. Likewise, would a long term jail system have worked better in the ANE? Hard to say, but probably not. And even if it would have worked, would it have been any better? No! It probably would have been worse. 

And as for Eved Canaani, again, that was a whole different thing. Eved Canaanim were mostly captured enemy combatants. And again they had great rights. You think the current US system (never mind Guantanamo) is any better? No it isn't!

Skeptics need to stop portraying eved ivri (or canaani) as something comparable to the West African Slave trade. It wasn't. Eved Ivri is as unlike the African Slave Trade as working in a cubicle in Corporate America is.  Actually strike that. Eved Ivri is way better than being a corporate dweeb. 

I WISH I could be an Eved Ivri. Sheesh.